I finished #3's purse yesterday. She chose a nice bright blue and wanted more of a clutch shape (longer and shorter) but with a cross body strap. No clasp. Somehow when I attached the shoulder strap it didn't look right at the top where it comes off the purse, but I corrected it by adding a cute little bow to either side.

#3's purse - completed

I was several inches into the next bag project (for #2) when I made the decision to pull it apart and start over. It was just too big, and looked like it was going to be ungainly to carry around. So now I'm a little slow and behind, but it'll be better in the end.

Baby Sage is adorable, as always. Her little ears perk up whenever she hears my voice. A couple days ago I left a blanket in there that didn't fit in the laundry load. Sage loved it. She was able to move around a lot more without getting cold on the floor. I felt a little bad when I finally threw it in the wash yesterday morning. Sage stays either on the carpeted base of the cat tree, or under the fish tank over by the heat vent. Floki seems to be a good momma. As much as she leaves Sage alone, I think it only looks odd because she's alone. If it were a little pile of kittens napping together it would seem less strange, but little Sage, laying all alone, seems so sad. She's a sweet little soul, and she's got a beautiful personality. I'm looking forward to when she's a bit bigger and a little more interactive.

Sage (19 days old - photo taken 3/12/18)

Today, while at the feed store to get more rabbit food, we stopped by the garden section. I joke with my husband that this competitor of his store will get in seed potatoes before his store does. They didn't have any seed potatoes, but they did have a display of dormant fruit trees. They were only $17.99 each and decent sized. Much to my surprised delight, Tony said to go ahead and get some. "An orchard is an investment." he said. So today I brought home two Contender peach trees, two Kieffer pear trees, and one Methley plum tree. And so our journey into starting our orchard has begun! Now I need to figure out what to do with them until the snow melts. For now they're in the unheated entry way. They're dormant, pruned down and no leaves, but they were indoors when I bought them.

In researching my varieties a little more, I've found that plums and cherries are safe to plant in proximity to black walnut, but apple trees can't be near black walnut. The problem is that I've found different lists that put peaches and pears on both sides of this list. Can they be near black walnut or not? Since the area I had set aside for an orchard is bordered on one side by black walnut trees and boxed on on the other side by water, I'm realizing that I don't have nearly the orchard space I had originally thought I had. Once you measure out 50 feet from the black walnut tree line, you're already in the middle of the orchard space. While I'd love to have additional trees in that area to block certain views, it's not worth the financial loss if the new trees don't thrive.

After much thought, checking and re-checking my aerial map, measuring several times, and consulting with my husband, we have decided to change our plans a little. Instead of using the east field as an orchard, we are going to use the northern end of the front fields. This will also add an additional sound and vision barrier, while providing the trees the furthest positioning from any black walnuts, while also giving them a south-facing location with wind block to the north. I don't think it will take away enough from the northern fields to make a dent in our potential garden space there anyway, and it means even more possible space for apple trees to be added in! The east field will now be used for black walnut - tolerant vegetables, such as corn and squash and beans. It will still end up used to grow food, just not in the way I had originally planned. I think this will actually work out better anyway.

Back at the feed store in the garden section, #5 and I stopped to look at some of the yard decor. He liked the zombie gnome, but it was expensive ($40). We ended up bringing home two little sleeping dragons, and a solar-powered fairy house. I am so excited to start gardening.

I finally got someone to help me move the 29-gallon fish tank from the living room to the bathroom onto the stand. The water had virtually dried up to nothing, and I figured I'd pull all the decorations out and clean out the tank real well since all the fish were gone now. Surprise! One of the weather loaches is a survivalist. I haven't cleaned the tank in nearly a year, due to being out of the house all last spring and into the summer, and then moving. After we moved, the tank was left behind at the old house well into the cold season, the water level dropped below the heater, and the only thing that kept the water from freezing was a space heater in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing. Then it was moved here and left to sit for another two months or so in the living room. Some how this one singular fish has survived the most neglect and abuse I think anyone could put a fish through. I am impressed with this fish. **Please note that I thought the tank was empty and would never have intentionally left living fish in these conditions. Had I known there was a survivor in there, I'd have moved the tank with us right away and had it set up immediately.

So I spent a couple hours today filling the fish tank one left-over container at a time, then siphoning it out as I refilled it to keep the water level up while cleaning out all the gross crud from a year without maintenance. Yikes! That was a nasty dirty job! But the tank, though not perfect, looks a lot better. Over the next couple of days I will try to get a hold of a new air pump for the filter, or maybe just work on sanitizing the old rocks and set up the aquaponics bed. That should help filter out the remaining bits I couldn't get out with the siphon. I'm hoping the cats will leave it alone and not lay on the plants, but it is in the window, and we all know how cats feel about sunny spots in windows.

When I was finally done with the fish tank, I cleaned out under the kitchen sink again, tore up the laminate that was under there, and then bleached the wood underneath. The kitchen sinks both broke, one after the other (second one broke a day and a half after we fixed the other one). Underneath got wet. Sopping wet. As in, dripping down into the basement. So tonight I scrubbed it all out, and now have the heater back in there again to dry it all up. Once it's all dry again I think maybe a coat of polyurethane would help water proof it in case the drains leak again.

Earlier today Tony replaced the outlet up in our bedroom. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but it works now!

And to top it all off, today Violet went to her new home! Yay for Violet! That just leaves Vesuvius from that litter still looking for a home. He didn't seem to mind the car trip. I hope he finds his home soon.

That's -31, with a windchill down to -46. My heart sunk. I just knew we'd have losses. Even with bedding and enclosed buildings, at that temperature, it's just not enough.

We lost Elizabeth, James, Hodor, Speckles, Lorelei, Willy, Machu, and Um, and one of the guineas too. I don't even know what to do now. Tonight is supposed to be the same. There's nothing more that I can do, but keep the barn and coop closed up for the night and hope for the best. It's been several years since we had -40, and we lost rabbits then too. But back then they were in a lean-to with nothing but tarps for walls. I had hoped the enclosed buildings would provide more insulation for them.

Today, #4 cried because Elizabeth was her rabbit. She had plans to breed her to Sushi in the spring to see if he carried the Rex gene and could produce Rex coated kits. Now she's asking if she can pick one of the other rabbits to be hers. I told her to wait until spring to see who is still here. We don't usually get this cold until February. I really hope this is it, and that we won't have another round in February.

We have the rabbits on winter rations (full feed bins), and the three in the cages outside seem to be doing alight at this point. I'm not sure why the ones in the barn and coop are dying. They have no wind, enclosed spaces, and bedding.

Knowing that tonight will also be bitterly cold, I made the decision to bring Wisp in the house. We fought hard to get her to survive when she was tiny, and I couldn't leave her outside to potentially freeze. She is the smallest bunny out there. Today she is in the house, where she will remain until she finds a home or until the spring weather outside allows her to go back out.

The future is looking bleak for the two kits in the nest box right now. Their momma was among the losses this morning. #3 tried to foster them on to MoR (who is supposed to have babies any day now), and Lady Mo (who lost her single kit just a few days ago). Despite having time with both moms twice today, it doesn't look like either kit actually got a meal.

For now I'm reluctantly hoping that MoR delivers her kits tonight and has milk soon enough to save the two inside. Unfortunately, with temps like this, if she delivers out there, there's no way those kits will survive. It's just too cold. It's going to be losses both ways at this point I'm afraid.

What a hard way to end the year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Refusing to end the year on a sour note, I am determined to remain positive. When #3 came in with Wisp, I had to snap a photo. She's got a full mohawk between her ears!

Wisp

Wisp is so soft, her fur is fine and long. She reminds me of the angora rabbits we used to have. This worries me a bit because I was also deathly allergic to them (which is why we don't have them anymore). It seems she has the same fur issue they did. Everything gets stuck in her fur and starts to mat. I'm still picking pieces of pine bedding out of her belly fur.

Now that she is in the house, she can no longer be sold as an outdoor pet, which is great because I really want her to be someone's indoor pet. She's fantastic, well socialized, and so incredibly soft. If I wasn't allergic to rabbits, I'd strongly consider keeping her as our own indoor pet.

I even took a photo of Wisp and Moose together.

Moose and Wisp

2017 had many twists and turns, come curve balls, and definitely some beautiful moments too. We were devastated when our house flooded, and frustrated living in a hotel for 11 weeks. We were elated and a little nervous when we signed on the dotted line, got the keys, and moved into our new home. The kids have taken the move in stride, making new friends and fitting in to their new schools seamlessly. While we continue to struggle with finances, we are so much happier here on the homestead. That makes it all better.

In 2018 I am looking forward to our first official garden on the homestead (may it get bigger and better every year). I am looking forward to learning to can our harvests so they can last us through the winter and beyond. I am looking forward to finding new ways to make some money to help pay the bills. I will be making some major changes to the rabbits we're breeding this next year, and I hope the tweaks and fixes correct some issues on my part. I'm hoping the new year brings our family even closer, that we enjoy time together, make memories, share fun experiences, and learn along the way. And in 2018, I hope you will join us on our adventures in homesteading, raising kids, and finding our own way to do things. I'm hoping to make videos a part of 2018, but I've got to figure out video editing first.

Lazy day today. The kids and I played Mario Kart 8. We had fun for the most part, but after several rounds, #5 started to get upset that he was never winning. Well, a couple of times he wasn't in dead last place, but let's be honest, he's four and that game does require at least some concentration.

We moved on to making dinner. All three girls helped to cup up meat and veggies to go in the stew. Ham, onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots, and a couple cans of cream of mushroom soup. Tossed the ham chunks in some ground cloves and brown sugar, and cooked it all on high for four hours. Not bad.

Tonight I'm working on cranking out a few red white and blue crochet coasters. I got three new skeins of yarn for Christmas, and I don't care for the red/white/blue combination. No idea why. I like blue, I like red, but when they come together, it's like nails on a chalkboard for my eyes. I imagine fashion people would feel the same about wearing polka-dots and tiger-stripes together. Anyway, I've decided to use up the red white and blue skein so it's not sitting in the closet. But the weird thing is that these coasters are coming out really nice. Despite my distaste for the color palette, they have an old rustic Americana farm vibe to them. A couple of the kids have requested the red white and blue coasters for their teachers. Glad they already have new homes lined up, but is it weird I'm actually considering buying another skein of this color combo to make some to sell? I think I've lost my mind.

First two Americana crochet coasters

Tonight, just before sunset, #3 took the raccoon live trap out and set it up with some ham for bait between the two places the ducks were killed. As of about 10pm the trap was still open and empty. We're hoping to have one tomorrow morning. I'm a little worried we could accidentally catch a skunk. No idea how we'd deal with that. I guess we will see what happens. There were fresh tracks out there today from them visiting last night. The ducks remain locked up, and the chicken coop is closed up too. My poor birds are probably feeling a little "cooped up" at this point, but what better week to be locked up than one like this? High today actually reached 0 degrees!

On the plus side, these crazy cold temperatures do mean one good thing... It's nearly Winter Sowing season!!

Phew! We survived the hectic Christmas season. Gifts are opened, memories shared, photos taken, and meals eaten. Thank you cards will get written out tomorrow. Another year is coming to a close.

I have missed a few daily blogs in the last week or so, and for that I apologize. There were a few nights where I was up late or away from home and computer and unable to do my blog.

My parents' new dog is settling in. She's still terrified of pretty much everything... people (even ones she knows), anything that gets dropped, whenever someone picks something up, loud noises, too many people, fast movement... But she is getting used to having food available twice a day (she no longer swallows it whole as fast as she can), and having her own place to sleep (she has a crate with a bed at night).

Daisy

The ducks have been locked up since Christmas Eve night, so no more losses yet. We did go get a live trap today, but decided not to put it out tonight. It's going to be -22 tonight, and there were no fresh tracks this morning from last night (which was also -20). We will set it out as soon as night temps warm up slightly (maybe the -6 we're expecting tomorrow night before the rest of the lows plummet to -16, -25, -22, and -24 through the weekend). I'm still not sure what we'll use to dispatch any raccoons we catch. I'll probably have to have my dad come out to shoot it.

I did look up the laws here, and state law in Minnesota says a property owner can trap and kill a raccoon without a trapping license if it is causing damages or killing livestock, so long as a DNR officer is notified within 24 hours of killing it. That sounds reasonable to me.

A note here... I would love to live in harmony with nature. That is the intent. However, I will not allow that wildlife to kill my ducks (who cannot fly away because they're domestic flightless breeds), and risk more harm to my cats, chickens, guineas, goose, dog, and children by essentially encouraging them to stick around by feeding them my ducks. Research shows that fences will not keep them out. Raccoons can climb over or dig under fences, finding holes or weaknesses and manipulating them. Now I'm a little worried he/she/they'll dig under and into the bunny barn (which has a dirt floor). Maybe the extreme cold will buy us some time. It's much harder to dig when the ground is frozen solid. Either way, it's time to trap a raccoon!

I'm heartbroken writing this tonight. I spent the night at my parents' house last night after spending most of the day wrapping presents. This morning Tony called me saying #3 was in a panic because a duck was missing. How many are we supposed to have? Nine. There are nine... He said he was putting on his winter gear to go outside.

​He called back several minutes later to confirm. One dead duck under the car, dog tracks all over the place. The fence broken down again so the ducks were out and the goose was still in the barn. The duck was mangled. Our precious Leonardo, one of our very first ducks that came to us on October 1.

My heart broke. Did my dog do this? How could this be? He has been so good about leaving the livestock alone. Was it because the kids let him out unattended for his morning potty break? What happened? I was told the cats seemed to have dragged the duck under the car because they were under there munching on it. No way our big beast of a dog could have gotten under the car.

The bunny chores got done, and the family came out to my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner. We opened some gifts, enjoyed a meal, played with their new dog, and headed home.

We were greeted with more carnage. Another duck, headless in the yard. My heart sank. It was Tweak. Leonardo's brother. And Moose had been in the house the entire time. The kids tracked the foot prints to a den behind the garage. We suspect a raccoon. The dog prints all over this morning were probably Moose following the raccoon scent or chasing it off.

Tonight the remaining seven ducks, Josh the goose, Phil and Big Red the roosters, and Bert and Ernie the guineas are locked in the bunny barn. We closed the garage door and retired the fence panel. If the raccoon or whatever it is can tip the fencing, it's no longer safe to use it.

The chicken coop will be locked up as well. From here on out, if we can't be home at dusk to make sure all of the animals are put away right away, we will have to lock them up before we leave.

I'm also going to buy a live trap for a raccoon as soon as our budget permits. I consider it a top priority.

This evening we found Luna investigating the duck carcass, and after several minutes of frantic searching the kids were able to find Gypsy too. Thankfully both were alive and well. Tonight they are sleeping in the entry way/porch.

Tonight it's supposed to get down to -16 (less than -30 with wind chill factored in). Tomorrow the high is expected to be -9, with tomorrow night dipping to -21. The next few days is going to be brutal. We probably will not see above freezing temperatures again until March or April now.

In better news, today we sold four rabbits. I had hoped to spend that money on rabbit food for January, but perhaps that will be used to buy a live trap instead.

Today I sent #3 back into the space to see if she could fetch a container from one of the boxes of freeze dried food. Unfortunately four of the cases are stashed so well, they cannot be reached. She did manage, after several minutes of fighting with a box, to remove one large can of rice and chicken.

The label fell off the can when she touched it. Guess the food stores better than the glue on the labels.

I sent an email to the company with the code from the bottom of the can to see how old it is. They have a 30 year flavor guarantee, so I was wondering if they'd replace it if it tasted funny.

The gentleman who's name appeared on the package died in 1996, the to/from is stamped onto the box several times, and the address is the man's name, c/o his business, with city/state/zip, but no numerical address. Add in the fact that three of the boxes are stashed behind heating duct work, indicating the house was literally being upgraded around these boxes... I suspect these boxes may be older than I am.

Since we already had the can out, and I hadn't put anything in the crock pot for dinner, we figured why not? Let's try some really old freeze-dried emergency rations...

Dried meal in a can

#4 used a can opener to carefully remove the top of the can while I started the water boiling. The contents took up about 3/4 of the can, and it smelled alright. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it looked fine.

We added the boiling water, stirred it up, and set the table while we waited the ten minutes for the food to rehydrate. It ended up looking a little plain, and the kids were hesitant to eat it at first.

Re-hydrated and ready to serve

I dished everyone up a small portion, and the older kids waited for me to taste it first. Tony was on the phone by this time, on his way home, and said "So if I come home and everyone is sick, I'll know not to eat the food."

I took a bite at the same time as #4 and #5. It was delicious! The only one that didn't care for it was #5, and he turns his nose up at most dinners (he's a breakfast boy). Tonight #1, #4, and I all had seconds. #2 had three portions. And there was still enough for Tony when he came home! That means we got 12 portions out of the big can.

​Now, you might be wondering - where do I go to get some freeze dried emergency rations that will taste that delightful in 30+ years? Well, my friends, you are in luck! Mountain House sells their products on their website, but their food is actually cheaper to buy through Amazon (affiliate link below).

We will be keeping the remaining cans where they are. Partially because they're virtually impossible to get to. But really, it's good to know that we have emergency food in case there is ever a time when we really are in a bad situation and cannot afford food, or we get snowed in for more than a few days, or whatever else might come up. I had always hoped one day to have an emergency pantry. Something with canned vegetables and such from our garden, and extra bits of stuff here and there that we've been able to save and store away. It's never happened, largely because we don't have the extra money to buy things, and I've never tried canning (yet). We also eat - a lot - and the idea of having more than we can eat has been a foreign concept for most of my adult life. Until I started gardening, that is. The meaning of abundance is found in over planting a garden. Next year I want to work on preserving those harvests for even longer. Imagine how much more I can grow if I know how to store it, and with all the more space we have now. These freeze dried rations will be the foundation from which I will build my own pantry with foods I grow and can myself.

Which leads me to a thought in the back of my head... Now we have chickens and Josh the goose... While the ducks will likely leave my garden alone (they're supposed to eat bugs from the garden but leave the plants alone), chickens are known for destroying gardens, and Josh - well, he destroyed every pepper and okra plant we had this fall... How in the world am I going to keep them all out? I can't afford fencing, and I don't want to coop them all up - I believe in free-range if it's safe. Something I will continue to ponder. Perhaps some pallets and metal fence posts are in order.

And in other news... I am an admin for a Facebook pets group. Someone posted bloodhound puppies yesterday. I approved the ad after admiring the pictures. My parents always joked that when my mom gets her deck, my dad can have his bloodhound. These are two things they've both wanted for a long time. This summer, my mom got her deck built. So every time I see bloodhound puppies for sale, I think about my parents' agreement.

Well, Facebook removed the ad for some reason (as they sometimes do in an attempt to prevent animal sales), so the lady sent me a message to ask why her ad was removed. We got to talking, and I complimented her pups and told her about my parents' deal. She said she sometimes takes in surrenders too, and she just happened to have one now. A one year old purebred bloodhound that she sold as a pup. The owner had a drug problem and went to jail, so the dog came back to the breeder. Now she was trying to find her a home, for a fee much smaller than a bloodhound pup sells for. So I did what any good daughter would do... I forwarded the photo to my mom and reminded her that she got her deck... So dad should get his bloodhound.

My mom contacted the breeder, and they chatted. Then my mom told my brother she wanted to buy a bloodhound for my dad for Christmas. Being the voice of reason, my dear brother told mom she needed to talk to dad first and not just spring it on him. After that summer we lost three big dogs to different issues, he swore off ever having big dogs again because "digging big holes is too much work."

Tonight my mom showed the photo to my dad, and said "I want to buy this dog for you for Christmas." Much to everyone's delightful surprise, my dad agreed! The bloodhound will be coming home sometime in the next week, whenever they can make the arrangements to pick her up (they are three hours away, but willing to meet part way).

So here I am, worker of miracles. I have hooked my dad up with a dog of a breed he's wanted longer than I can remember, and at a price he could afford. I can hardly wait to hear her braying when we come up the driveway for Christmas. It's been a while since my parents' house was blessed with a hound. Our beagle taught our dalmatian to howl when I was a child. That was beautiful. I wonder if this bloodhound can convince the pugs to howl.

Welcome to the family new bloodhound! You're going to be loved beyond measure. Kids and other dogs to play with, a big fenced area to run and play in, a big house, couches and beds to sleep on, treats and toys to play with, and good food for your belly.

Tony spent his Christmas bonus on a new Christmas tree. Our last one was lost in the basement flood in April, along with most of our ornaments, and all of our lights and decorations.

The tree is up, most of the ornaments we salvaged are up, and all of the donated gifts are wrapped and under the tree.

Christmas Tree is up!

There are no Christmas lights, but we plan on buying some when they go on clearance after Christmas so we can have them for next year.

Today was supposed to be another slaughter day. The last of this year, and one to clear out space until the spring slaughter day. But of course, it's cold outside. I attempted to make camp in the garage, but Tony was "seasoning" the new smoker and it was smelling a lot like exhaust. No use trying to stay warm in the garage with the garage door open to get the smell out. So then I figured I was stuck doing this outside at our slaughter station. I moved everything back out there and started to get ready. Then Tony called from his shopping expedition and suggested I just do it in the basement. Permission granted! Yay!

So I packed everything up again, and moved it all into the basement. Loaded up some of the rabbits and moved them into the basement. I managed to get one done. One. Good grief, this is a rough process. I really need to be less attached to my food rabbits, or I need to downsize the rabbits and become a vegetarian. So tonight I am going to bed with three live rabbits in my basement awaiting slaughter day part two tomorrow.

I have two in this lot that I really don't want to kill. They're so sweet. When I put my hands in the cage to pull them out, they both came right up and licked my fingers and rubbed up against me begging for rubs. I am a horrible person for eating them I think - but I have been unable to find them homes. In the end their doom was that they were born males, and males are always harder to find homes for. I briefly considered just offering them for free if someone would come get them today, but then I realized that wouldn't save them. It would just mean they'd end up in someone else's refrigerator.

Now I just need to psych myself up for the horrible task. Vegetarianism seems closer and closer every slaughter day... If only I could afford more vegetables. Well, maybe I could if I didn't spend so much on rabbit food... Hmmm.

The ducks were released from the bunny barn this morning as the kids headed off to catch the bus. They came right out into the yard with no delay and stayed relatively close together throughout the day. there was one point when Josh brought the ducks over to the chicken coop and then they all laid down in the grass for a while. The five new ones got bored after several minutes and started to walk away. Josh watched them and as soon as he realized they weren't just shuffling around to find a better spot to sit, he stood up and gathered the other four ducks and went to go hang out with the new ducks. It's wonderful to see them marching through the yard. I love my new and complete flock of ducks. They're fun to watch and just bring me great joy.

Five new ducks, laying in the lawn.

I took the photo (above) through the window from inside the house. There are all five of the new ducks, laying in the yard in front of the chicken coop. The cord you see running through the middle of them is the cord to the heated water bowl in the chicken coop.

Tomorrow we'll have dinner with my parents again. It's always nice to have someone else do the cooking once in a while. I'm sure the kids appreciate grandma's superior cooking skills over my constant march of rice or soup dishes.

I'm hoping to be able to rig up a space heater in the garage this weekend and have another butcher day on Sunday. I've got six or seven rabbits that need to go and despite dropping their price to less than what I've got in them for feed costs and offering to barter, I've still had no takers. At least we will get food and pelts from them. This will also allow me to shift cages a bit, changing three feed bins from "all you can eat" to 3/4 cup of food per day - which will also help a lot on feed costs.

Little Wisp has been confirmed as a doe. Yay! So now the little shelved litter is Willy, Wonka, and Wisp. Too cute!

Today the bunnies have been hard at work digging holes in their fenced yard. I can't imagine any grass is going to regrow in there next year at this rate. At least three times one of the kids or I went out and refilled the holes to keep them from digging out. The last time I shoveled them full, packed them down, and put a brick over the two places they're particularly drawn to. Then we added a stick from under the apple tree to give them something to chew on to perhaps distract them. Seems to have curbed the digging, at least a little.

Boss Lady is now sitting on seven brown eggs. Henrietta must be going in and laying one every day and Boss Lady just keeps adopting them. Some more seasoned chicken keepers have suggested that I mark the eggs she's sitting on, and daily remove any new eggs. The idea being that she will only sit on the eggs for so long once the first ones start to hatch, so if she has too many, she will end up abandoning the last eggs, literally right before they're ready to hatch. Guess I'll be doing that tomorrow.

Which brings me to tomorrow. Starting about 2am it's supposed to start raining, turning to snow around 4pm and snowing straight through until 10pm. We are anticipating 1-3 inches of snow. In the weeks to come our low temps will start to be in the negative numbers.

No matter how many years I've lived in Minnesota (my entire life), I never feel quite prepared for the bitter cold when winter finally rolls in.

Yesterday little Babylon had in injury to her nose. I'm not sure if she got pecked by a chicken, bit by another rabbit, or if she cut it some other way. It's scabbed up and swollen. Poor baby. I make a point to spend several minutes every day cuddling with her. She's so calm, she cuddles right in, and she really seems to be happy when I put my hand over her ears to warm them. She's such a sweet little girl. Hopefully her nose heals up quickly, because she's got a home lined up for her when the younger litter is ready to go (I think she's going to live with Willy in her new home, and Willy won't be ready to go until Christmas Eve).

Babylon got a nose injury

The lady we bought Josh, Tweak, and Leonardo from sent me a message today. She has five more Indian Runner (or Indian Runner cross) ducks that she wants to rehome. They're young, so we won't know gender, and permanent color isn't in yet. Looks like three brown, one that could be mallard colored (green head), and one black and white splashed (mixed breed). I'm so excited to get more ducks! I really hope that it brings some more females into the flock. Poor Dashi is the only girl duck right now.

Yesterday when Tony got home, as he walked in the door, with an arm full of stuff from the van, he went to close the door, not realizing that Luna was perched on top of it. She managed to smush her paw, but seemed fine initially. Today she's limping, and bites when I try to peek at her feet. It's not at an odd angle, but there is a distinct line in her fur where the door caught her. I'm going to watch her for another day or two to see if she gets better on her own. She is still able to jump up on the shelf where the bed and food and water bowls are in the barn, and back down to go potty. I'm hoping she's just sore and will recover if given some time. I know when I slam my finger in a door it hurts for several days, so I'm thinking that's what we're dealing with here as well.

And as is a daily (or rather nightly) occurrence now, the two barn kitties come in every night when I go out to turn off the chicken coop light. They sleep in the entry way and go back out in the morning. I'm so glad they figured out the litter box!

In a wonderful turn of events, our dear Lady Mo has returned! She had dug a big hole and then back-filled it, so it looked like freshly dug ground, but there was no hole to be found. She came out of her tunnel this morning. She's missing the fur between her front legs and some down her belly. I know she's got kits down there, but I have no way of getting to them. I hope they survive largely on their own. I will let nature take care of this one. Lady Mo came in and ate, she's been with the coop herd all day, and as of this afternoon she and the nursing momma took turns burying the hole again. Tonight Lady Mo is in the coop with the other rabbits. She has made no attempt to reopen the tunnel since this afternoon. I waited until well past dark to close up the coop to give her every opportunity I could to go and nurse them this evening. I have no way of checking on them to see if they're even alive or not. Frustrating, but part of raising rabbits in a colony with dirt available for digging.

Kin and Lady Mo

Since her triumphant return, Lady Mo has spent a lot of her time chasing the spotted doe around. The spotted doe came from a different place, so isn't one that Lady Mo originally came here with, but they had largely worked out their differences prior to Lady Mo's disappearance a few days ago. The spotted doe is the mother of the three young kits still being shelved. She will not nurse them though, so they are being nursed on MoR, the other Dutch cross doe (Lady Mo's sister). For some reason, Lady Mo does not like the spotted doe.

In turn, the spotted doe spent most of her afternoon trying to sneak out to the yard to mess with the nest hole. Several times MoR or Lady Mo came and chased her away, before they finally filled the hole in.

I'm all for giving second chances, but if the spotted doe doesn't step it up next litter, she's going to have to go. It was her first litter, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but if the other doe doesn't like her, and she isn't a good momma, there's no reason to keep her around. I'd just as soon put Boon's momma back in there and just have the three Dutch cross sisters as the entire female force of the colony.

Spotted doe, trying to get at the nest hole of Lady Mo.

The three older shelved kits that were returned to the coop yesterday are doing well. All three can now get up the big step behind the coop door, and they have discovered the water dish. Though Machu Picchu doesn't quite understand the concept. He did figure out how to drink while standing outside the bowl when I filled the bowl completely full again. They sure do know how to make their dish dirty too! It was clean when I filled it this morning, but then one of the rabbits decided to dig next to it and kicked dirt in it. I had to clean it out again to refill it this evening. They're still not as messy as the ducks though. The ducks will leave mud in the bottom of the water dish every day. Theirs has to be cleaned out constantly!

Tony, #3, and I added chicken wire around the bottom portion of the kennel fencing to keep the ruins litter in. They could walk right out through the kennel bars. A note here - if you decided to do a system like this, please remember that chicken wire will not protect your animals from predators! A predator can easily tear through chicken wire! We added it strictly as a way to keep baby bunnies in. The kennel itself is the predator protection.

Chicken wire added to the bottom half of the kennel fencing.

While we worked on the coop, Sterling and Turducken patrolled the area. He's our dominant rooster and he watches over his hens all day long. He's such a handsome boy. Still no idea what breed he is, but he's handsome. And what big comb and waddles he has! Unfortunately the tips of his comb look like he's gotten frostbite. Odd since we haven't had any really horribly cold nights yet. A few quick searches brings up the best prevention - choosing breeds with small waddle and combs for northern keepers. Well, guess we failed there.

Our other big rooster is Big Red, and he has nearly caught up with Sterling on size. He's still a smidge smaller. Big Red would like to be the dominant rooster, and has tried a few times to breed with the hens, but Sterling is quick to chase him away as soon as he starts harassing the ladies. So Big Red bides his time with Phil. Largely, I believe, because Phil is submissive and lets Big Red crow and strut and eat first in the bunny barn.

Big Red

Then there's little Phil. He's clearly some sort of cochin or whatever people call miniature or dwarf chickens. He's got feathered legs and he's about the size of the two silkie roosters. Phil can fly though, which the silkie roos can not. The silkie roosters spend their days in the coop or in the yard attached to the coop, unable to fly over the four foot fence to free range. Phil spends his days free ranging the yard, or hanging out in the bunny barn during bad weather. He roosts up in the rafters or on the end of the garage door track. He doesn't go to the chicken coop, and doesn't interact with the hens ever. He does seem to hang out with Big Red, or maybe Big Red hangs out with him. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is leading and who is following.

Phil is great fun to watch. When he runs he kicks his feet out slightly to the sides, and with his leg feathers, it almost looks like he's dancing while wearing bell bottoms. He's a sweet rooster though, and is easy to catch and handle (though he's not happy about it). This makes him my favorite (but shhh - don't tell Sterling).

Phil

Turducken is an interesting bird. She's smaller than our other two hens. Henrietta is a barred rock, and Boss Lady is an Easter Egger. Turducken is a naked neck (also known as a turken). My initial chicken research last year had me believe that naked necks were only good for meat production, but Turducken lays eggs almost every day. She's not very big, which would seem counter productive to use her as a meat bird. In the photo below you can see her free ranging next to the fence, and one of the silkie roosters in the pen. They're roughly the same size (about 15 inches if measuring based on the height of the fence). And of course Kin, the rabbit, is in there too, but he's rather large.

The entire time I'm working on bunny and chicken chores, Moose follows me around, dropping his frisbee at my feet. This dog loves nothing in the world more than chasing a frisbee. Today I was blindly throwing the frisbee to get him away while I was working on connecting the chicken wire to the kennel, and apparently he was too focused on the frisbee... He ran over Luna on his blind chase to retrieve the frisbee. She wasn't hurt, just startled. I was more careful about what direction I was throwing it from then on. He will literally chase the frisbee until he's so out of breath he can hardly breath, frothing drool, and will still want me to throw it again. We have to play in moderation so he doesn't end up giving himself a heart attack or something.

Moose (fka Aspie) and his frisbee

The barn kitties have been spending their nights in the porch. They have access to a water bowl and a litter box, and a cardboard box to sleep in. It's insulated but not heated. They choose this over the barn that is not insulated or heated, but has food and water and a cardboard box with blankets to snuggle in. It's not even that cold tonight, but after evening chores were done they were quick to follow me in for the night.

Gypsy

The views over the lake today were nice. While today was mostly cloudy, I got a few nice scenic shots.

A cloudy day is still beautiful here

And sunset was beautiful, as it tends to be here on our little piece of heaven. It's hard not to feel completely blessed every single day here. The beauty of Mother Nature is found in everything here, if you just look. And sometimes, the sunset just takes your breath away. Today it was bright pink with purple clouds.

A note to follow up on yesterday's blog. In most of the videos I watched of how people tan rabbit hides using the salt and alum solution, they stir it with a stick. I had my hands in the bucket yesterday to squeeze out air bubbles, with no negative effects. Today I lifted the plate off the top and reached in to stir the pelts around. I notices some of the pelts are already starting to pull apart from the fatty layer that comes off in 6 more days. After a couple of minutes moving pelts around in the water, my fingers started to burn. I replaced the plate and washed my hands immediately, but it was too late.

Now I've got tiny blisters between my fingers. Every time I wash my hands, the warm water makes the bumps itch uncontrollably. If you have sensitive skin, you should wear gloves or use a stick! Tomorrow I will not be sticking my hands in the water unless I'm wearing gloves.

No sign of Lady Mo. I'm almost certain some kind of bird of prey took her out of the coop yard. Heartbreaking, as she was due any day now. I know we've had hawks and bald eagles, and there's an owl that was hit by a car not far from our driveway (it was dead when we first saw it). The predators are in the area, so this does not come as such a surprise. What does surprise me is that we hadn't had any losses before this, and that it was a rabbit and not a chicken or a duck that got taken.

​Today the older shelved litter has graduated to life in the coop. They are now eating pellet food and drinking water on their own, and since we can no longer contain them in the kitchen (Tikal discovered how to go up the stairs), it was time to reintroduce them to the herd. Since Lady Mo is gone, we have an open space for an additional doe, so if Babylon doesn't find a home in the near future, she may just stay back to replace Lady Mo. It would be easier than trying to introduce another adult doe into the group.

Silly Machu Picchu climbed into the small frying pan that got set on the floor while we were doing dishes.

Tonight it's just the younger shelved litter in the house. The two black kits are doing well, eyes are opening, they're well fed and active. The little broken black is still struggling, even more than originally. It's thin and doesn't nurse well. Today we actually removed the older kits and only had the three smaller kits in for the two nursing times. The little spotted one isn't eating enough. Tonight I cut a small apple in half, removed the seeds, and set the two halves in the nest box with the kits. The spotted one immediately started chewing on it. I know it's hungry, but I don't understand why it isn't nursing when it has 15 minutes every feeding with a doe in milk. If I can get it to hold out just a few more days, I think that it will do better. The momma it is nursing on is the mother of the older litter, and she is getting round, so I suspect more kits may be on the way. The actual mom of the younger litter refused to nurse her litter, instead stepping on kits, sitting upwards so they couldn't nurse, and spending her time trying to escape the box. As a result, we stopped catching her for nursing time, and she has dried up (no more milk). Good thing the other momma has been a gem and has taken the extra kits in.

As of initial introduction to the coop, Babylon and Machu Picchu explored the coop, and Tikal instead went out the door, figured out how to climb up the brick step, and out to the yard. Great! Now I know he can reach the water dish. Unfortunately, this also means that he can walk right through the big cage bars. So he came back in the house until bed time. Tomorrow we will be adding chicken wire to the bottom portion of the fence to prevent escaping. Then I will be adding a small wire ramp behind the door to help the other two bunnies get out of the big step in area so they can have access to the heated water bowl too.

It's Black Friday, and while most Americans are our shopping for the best deals, I am finally getting around to processing rabbit hides for the first time. I've amassed a collection of rolled up rabbit hides in the freezer in two plastic shopping bags. The culmination of various culls during the illness outbreak, a couple of meat rabbit pelts, and one that was culled due to temperament issues. It's about time I got my freezer space back, and since I have all of the ingredients on hand, there's no reason to keep putting it off. Here goes!

Alum Sulfate

You will need one cup of Alum Sulfate, and one cup of non-iodized salt. I bought the salt at Menards, and the Alum from Amazon. If you can't find these locally, you can buy them both on Amazon.

In a clean five gallon bucket, add three gallons of warm water and mix your one cup of alum sulfate and one cup of non-iodized salt until all ingredients are dissolved.

Dissolved mixture

Add your hides. Mine were frozen so it took a while for them to thaw out, but once they did, I unrolled each one, held it under the water and gave it a gentle squeeze (never wring hides) to get the air bubbles out.

Hides are thawing in the pickle mixture

Once all of the hides were wet enough to sink, I stirred them around a bit more just for good measure. When no more air bubbles were coming up, I put a plate on top of them to make sure they remained submerged. You don't want any part of the hides or fur to be sticking up out of the water!

Now it will sit in this mixture for one week. Be sure to stir it around every day to make sure the pickle solution can reach all parts of each of the hides. You want a nice thorough pickling. Don't miss any parts!

After one week in this solution, the hides will be removed from the bucket. Be sure to gently squeeze the liquid back into the bucket - it will be used for the second part of the process. Again, remember - never wring or twist hides!

Each hide will be removed and any remaining flesh will be hand peeled from the hides. I'm told this is a tedious process, and where many people struggle or give up. I refuse to waste the pelts. It seems that would be dishonoring the animals that died. Because today is Friday, these pelts will be ready to de-flesh next Friday and over the weekend, which means I can have kids help too.

Once the hides have been fleshed, you'll add one more cup of Alum Sulfate, and one more cup of non-iodized salt to the bucket and mix again until completely dissolved (essentially doubling your pickle solution - but don't add any more water). Add the hides, stir well, and again anchor with a plate to assure all hides are under water. They will stay in this mix for another two weeks (14 days), and you should continue to stir the mix every day to make sure there are no bubbles or places that aren't getting access to the solution.

At the end of the second soak, it's time to start the last part of the process - cleaning and drying! If you have had your hides in tube form, now is the time to cut then open down the belly. If your hides were flat then obviously you can skip that step. Rinse your hides a couple of times in your bathtub to get as much of the alum/salt solution out as you can. There will be a lot of loose hair, so use one of those screen plugs for your drain to prevent hair clogs.

At this point, some people will wash the hides with soap or shampoo. This isn't required, but if you want them to smell nice, you can use a scented body wash. Rinse well.

​Squeeze out as much water as you can (remember, never twist or wring), and hang them up somewhere out of the way to start to dry. As they are drying, stretch them a couple times per day. Don't let them dry without stretching or they'll turn into rawhide. Breaking the leather will turn it white and it will be soft and supple. Work around the edges first and then work toward the inside. Be careful around the edges and thinner spots. You can also use the back of a chair to help you break the leather (leather side down).

Once your hides are dry and stretched, brush out the fur. You can add mink oil to the leather side if you desire. I'm not sure if I will do that or not. I have not looked in to the price of mink oil yet.

One video I watched said it's easier to start fleshing from the back to the front. One video suggested doing 3 cups alum and 3 cups salt in three gallons of water and then only soaking for 7-14 days before cleaning and drying. Some people say to cut the pelts flat before tanning, some say to go ahead and tan them still in tube-form.

Another note about the alum/salt pickling. It's not technically an actual tan. It's a pickle. So if your hide gets wet again, you have to start all over with breaking the leather again. This is not a method you should use if you want to use the furs for clothing or something that will potentially get wet or require being washed in the future.

So what do you do with a hide once it's been pickled? I have a few potential ideas. I could sell them. Processed hides usually go for about $3-$5 each on eBay (from my recent search for sold items anyway). There isn't much market here locally as we live in a small farming community and many people also have rabbits. Most commercial fur places have strict requirements for the fur they will buy - how it has to be treated, the age or breed of the rabbit used, and the color of the coat. Since we don't have mass quantities of furs, and most of ours are mixed breeds of random colors, selling commercially isn't really an option for us. Another option I've considered is making a big blanket from the furs. I know there are special ways to sew leather, and that the blanket would not be washable. I'm allergic to rabbit fur, and I'm not sure if the pickle and the processing will make a difference, so I don't know if I'll be able to snuggle up with the finished pelts yet. That and five kids plus pets means pretty much everything in the house has to be washable. We can always give pelts as gifts or trade for things we want or need. Another alternative would be to take some of the furs (particularly ones that are damaged during the breaking process), and cut them into strips to incorporate them into cat toys. Cat toys can be given to our cats, given as gifts to our cat-loving friends, donated to area animal shelters, or sold to make some extra money. There's always a market for humanely raised small-farm supported craft supplies too. We could sell a kit with scraps of old fabric, a couple feathers from our birds, and a few strips of rabbit fur as a "make your own cat toy" kit. I'm sure there are lots of other ideas out there if I scoured Pinterest or asked on some of the rabbit forums. Really, let your imagination lead you. But remember, that by using the whole rabbit, you are honoring their sacrifice. No need to waste what could be used.

I made a short video this morning of the ruins litter playing in the living room. They are adorable.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving already. It's one of the busiest travel times of the year as people gather with family. It's a curious time for me. It seems that so many people spend their lives, day after day, taking things for granted. Then, as if by some magical force, November rolls around, and people take to social media to post things they are thankful for. We spend a day with family, some people reflect on all of their blessings over the past year, and then after sleeping off a food coma, American society collectively looses it's mind, and becomes the most consumer-driven black hole since the year prior. People fist fight over the hottest new toys, death threats are made over the products with the best sale prices, and so many people who really can't afford it will rack up even more credit card debt in order to fulfill this ever encompassing need to buy expensive things for their loved ones, as some strange way to prove their devotion. I don't get it.

I'm thankful every day. Every single day, no matter how hard the day is, no matter how awful I might feel, or what heartbreak is in the news or in my own life, I find something to be thankful for. It's a foreign concept to me to only reflect and be thankful for a few days of the year. Perhaps if more people found just one thing, everyday, to be thankful for, the world would be a better place. I mean, be thankful for a cool breeze on a warm day, or be thankful that you have a roof over your head. Be thankful for the beautiful flower that you pass by as you go to get your mail. Be thankful that your children are healthy, for your ability to walk, or that you have food on your table. Be thankful for time spent with loved ones, be thankful for a small kindness from a stranger, and be thankful even on the coldest days in winter for the beauty of the snowflakes as they swirl to the ground. Engage with your world with the delight of a child, find beauty in everything, and be thankful always.

As for Black Friday sales, you won't see me out shopping any of them. I admit I did buy my mother a gift, one she specifically pointed out months ago, that I picked up and have been storing in the blanket closet for a couple months. I'm not sure what I will do for my dad and my brother yet. My handmade gifts tend to be simplistic and aimed more toward women. I have handmade earrings and jewelry, I can make pot holders, dish clothes, and soap scrubbies with yarn, and I can make cat toys. Nothing I suppose either of my male relatives would be thrilled to receive. Last year I gifted my brother with some home grown dried hot lemon peppers. Some dried whole or halved, and some that I ground up with my mortar and pestle. With the garden a flop this year, that's not much of an option for this year.

I'm sure I can come up with something interesting and either homemade or upcycled. I do have treats for my parents' dogs and my brother's dog (home made of course, and tested on our very own Moose).

As a child, my grandmother always gave me a pair of mittens that she had made by hand. Unfortunately Alzheimer's took her mind before I got the chance to learn how to make them. She taught me to make a pot holder, and from there I have been able to modify the same pattern to make dish cloths, soap scrubbies, and hats and tube socks. I miss getting handmade mittens every year. The lessons to create something myself cost her nothing but her time, and I find it to be incredibly valuable now as an adult.

This year I would encourage everyone to start thinking outside the box. ​Some nice gift ideas you might consider:

A handmade ornament. Use pine cones, hollowed out eggs, or fabric scraps. Incorporate old toys or re-purposed broken bits from other things.

A nice photo. One of my most well received gifts was a photo of a friend's dog that had recently passed away. The frame was $1 at the dollar store and the photo cost something like 37-cents to print at a local photo center.

Something re-purposed to be useful again. That pair of puddle boots your kid outgrew? Drill some holes in the bottom, fill them with potting soil, and add a plant. Excellent gift for grandparents!

Seeds and plants - these can encourage a budding gardener, or bring joy to an elderly person who can't maintain a garden anymore. Never underestimate the power of a potted plant. Edible plants (Rosemary, thyme, mint, basil, etc.) make excellent gifts, so don't box yourself into thinking flowers or house plants are the only options. Plant seeds now to have seedlings to give for Christmas.

Something hand crafted. Perhaps you're good at making jewelry, or blankets, or candles, or painting, or something else. A handmade gift is often more cherished than commercially purchased gifts because your time and energy went in to making it. Homemade gifts are not readily replaceable, and it gives you a degree of options to make each piece a little unique for the person it's intended for.

Your time. Something many people overlook is something completely priceless. My grandma took the time to teach me to crochet, and that has become a valuable asset to me. An old neighbor showed me how to cross stitch. My mother-in-law taught me how to turn things inside-out to add batting to make quilts. My grandfather taught me to play cribbage. All of these things cost nothing but someone's time. If you have nothing to teach, no skill to share, then spend time and share your story. I remember the stories my grandma would tell about her childhood, and from her rambling (and often repeated) stories she told while deep into Alzheimer's, I was able to track down a long-lost family member I didn't even know existed, which opened up a whole new point of view for my extended family, and became a wonderful learning tool, even after my grandma had passed away. Don't underestimate the power of time spent with someone. Even if it's just baking cookies with your kids or grandkids, or the kid down the street who doesn't have someone there to teach them to bake. Sharing your time can make worlds of difference that you may not even know.

Today was supposed to be another slaughter day. We have too many rabbits, and despite pushing really hard this past two weeks to step up advertising, even offering them at half price, I've only managed to find a home for one rabbit. It's a bad time of year to try to sell bunnies when everyone else is thinning their herd and trying to limp by with reduced feed bills over the winter. I wasn't feeling up to it, and have really been struggling with putting it off.

This is the line that I struggle with. The line between the pet and rescue mentality, and the farm mentality. They were bred for food, they are food, and that's the only reason they're here. Because when push comes to shove and I can't sell them, they can sustain us throughout the winter. But on the other hand, I've gone through the effort of handling them almost every day, naming them, memorizing which is which, noticing their temperaments and personalities in hopes of finding them good pet homes. They have names, they have personalities. I hate that it comes down to this line. I am running low on meat in the freezer, and their feed bill is now threatening to impede paying the mortgage. Somethings gotta give. I've put everything into selling them. They're posted on no less than four websites, and in 20+ Facebook groups. I've posted and cross posted, bumped, updated, and tagged people. I've replied to every "want" ad I could find. So far I've only mustered two responses, and neither of them responded after I got back to them promptly.

It can't possibly be the price tag. I mean, half off on a $10 or $15 rabbit? The local pet stores have been selling rabbits for $45+ with no problems year round for ages. I'd consider selling them to the one local pet store now (legally I can sell without a licence as long as I don't sell more than $500 worth in a year period), but I'm fairly certain they won't want older kits, or large breeds like we have. Floppy ears sell, and I avoid floppy ears like the plague because I know I won't be able to eat them.

I even offered to barter for the rabbits. Seriously - give me your used junk and I'll give you a rabbit. It's virtually free. I will not give them away for free because they will end up with someone else who will do what I'm struggling to do. Bop them on the head and put them in their freezer. No, if it must be done, I'll do it myself. At least that way I know it was done humanely and quickly. But it still breaks my heart. I get a little closer to vegetarianism every time I have a slaughter day. It really rips my soul out and makes me seriously question my abilities.

The shelved kits are doing well. Or at least the bigger ones are. The big black one remains #5's current favorite, though he holds the two new black ones too. Today I overheard him in the living room, laying on the floor with a bunny, singing to it. Something like "I will hold you so you are friendly... So you can find a home... Cause I don't want to have to eat you..."

​The brown one is still my favorite. He (or she?) is obviously different than the other bunnies. With crimped curly whiskers, and short bristly coat, it's got the hallmarks of being a Rex, but the coat is harsh, not soft. It has tiny cowlick places, almost reminiscent of an Abyssinian guinea pig after a close shave at the groomer. I have never seen this in any of our other rabbits, and it makes me really curious as to what breeds he has in his lineage. I wish this one was a girl, but I suspect it is likely another buck. I don't have the space for another breeding project. Darn it.